De Bruyne's future up in the air after midfielder is axed from Chelsea squad

Kevin de Bruyne has been axed from the Chelsea squad and will not travel to Romania for Tuesday’s Champions League tie against Steaua Bucharest.

De Bruyne was not in the match-day squad at Tottenham on Saturday and has been told he will be training with the Under 21 squad for the next three days.

Jose Mourinho was unimpressed with his performance in the Capital One Cup at Swindon last week and voiced his concerns on Friday before leaving him out of the derby against Spurs.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Jose Mourinho reacting to the draw with Spurs

Axed: Kevin De Bruyne (left) will not travel to Romania with Chelsea for their Champions League clash

De Bruyne, 22, is unhappy with his treatment having rejected opportunities to move back to Germany, where he had a successful season on loan at Werder Bremen last season.

Borussia Dortmund wanted to sign him permanently but Mourinho convinced him he would play a part in the Chelsea first-team this season.

De Bruyne performed well in pre-season and started against Hull on the opening day of the season but has been dislodged from the team since.

Making the call: Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has left the Belgian midfielder behind in London

The Belgian international is concerned about his place at the World Cup and will consider asking for a loan move in January if he cannot persuade Mourinho to change his mind and recall him to the squad.

Chelsea cannot afford to lose in Romania after being beaten at home by Basle in the opening game of their European campaign.